Grade 12 students Kim Hartung and Heidi Lucas were offered letters of acceptance last week, after they impressed Harvard coaching staff at the American university’s rugby clinic this past summer in Boston, Massachusetts.

“In Grade 10 my mom asked if I wanted to apply to Harvard and I laughed,” said Hartung with a smile, recognizing how hard it is to gain acceptance to the prestigious school. “It’s not something I was expecting, but it’s something I’m really, really happy about. It’s incredible. It feels like a dream come true.”

“It’s been a lot of work coming up to this point but it’s really great to see it all paying off,” added Lucas with a smile. Last year the senior girls’ rugby team went to OFSAA, where they captured the bronze medal.

Both girls, who have averages in the 90s, have been playing SFDCI rugby since Grade 9under the guidance of Coach Jacob Swarbrick. The rugby program at SFDCI incorporates skill and game training but also fitness training and muscle conditioning.

Harvard scouts first approached the girls in June at the 2018 OFSAA Girls Rugby Championship in Stratford, Ont., which resulted in an invitation to the summer clinic.

As a member of the Harvard rugby team, both girls will qualify for tens of thousands of dollars in tuition aid from the university. Their applications are currently being evaluated to see how much they will qualify for when they attend.

Hartung hopes to study environmental engineering, while Lucas is planning to study math and science.